Well this summer didn’t disappoint in sporting happenings.
We saw Cleveland win the NBA championship while Draymond Green couldn’t keep himself out of trouble.
And then we saw superstar Kevin Durant abandon the Thunder and form a super team at Golden State.
We saw Sidney Crosby lead the Penguins to the second Stanley Cup of his career.
We saw an epic duel between Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson for the Claret Jug at Royal Troon.
We saw Michael Phelps blow the competition away yet again in Rio and we are seeing the Cubs make what could be a historic run.
Yet despite all these memorable events, the real story of the summer is none other than Tim Tebow.
And if you’re thinking, “Geez, what stupid NFL team signed him this time?” you are in for a treat. Because Tim Tebow announced his foray into … baseball.
Of course, Tebow is 29 years old and has not played baseball full time since he was in high school. There’s no real chance that any MLB team would sign him, even though some teams will come to see him workout.
But the point here isn’t about whether or not Tebow will make a pro roster, the point is that we get more Tebowmania. I always liked Timmy. He was fun to watch at Florida and was robbed of a second Heisman Trophy. His speech after the Ole Miss loss is one of the greatest sports speeches of all-time and regardless of your faith, the fact that he lives his publicly is a bit refreshing in an age of athletes being protective of their private lives.
I will acknowledge his stint in the NFL shows he simply wasn’t talented enough to be an NFL starter, but he did win a playoff game and that’s nothing to scoff at. And there’s a certain level of respect that must be given to someone who pursues their dreams to the utmost of their ability. He could have settled for a high-paying reporting job with ESPN. He could have settled and been a quarterback in the Canadian Football League, the Arena Football League or even played for a Russian team.
But he didn’t. He kept trying and I think the sports world is better off for his efforts, even if he didn’t win a championship or make the Pro Bowl.
And so like the NFL, the MLB won’t pan out for Tim, but the media attention he gets can fuel the dreams of wannabe pros for years to come. With his most recent announcement, Tebow has started selling autographed baseballs and bats on his website, not to mention his new book “Shaken” and, of course, feel free to book him to speak at your next convention.
You can see Tebow as someone who chased his dreams as hard as he could, but came up short. Or you could view Tebow as sticking it to the NCAA for not letting him rack up the money he would have during his time in college. Tebow was one of the few players who could generate massive amounts of revenue before he turned pro and it’s good to see him taking back the success and fame he deserves.
You may not like him as much as I do, or you may not like him at all, but Tebow is here to stay.
